Question #1: After my daffodils finish blooming and the greenery is storing energy (but haven't began to yellow), how should I move these plants (greenery, bulbs and their roots) so they can continue their cycle? As in" bury up to where they were originally? Keep bulbs/roots covered continuously from digging the up untiil immediate (well, ASAP - have to walk from the front to the back) replanting them?
I must move about a dozen daffodils May 15th, as that's when I plant out my pepper transplants - in the containers The daffodils are in. Over the winter, I made a new raised bed for the daffodils' permanent home.

Question #2: How do I calculate when to start my new tomato varietie so that it starts setting fruit BEFORE the August heat?
I've never tried to time production before; I can't remember how the days to maturity is calculated (beginning with seedd sowing/sprouting/transplanting into the garden? This tomato variety is Crimson Cushion DTM 90 and Grand Plant Out Day is May 15th (for everything: flowers
AND vegetables!)

Bet, dig up the daffodils keeping the roots undisturbed with a big clump of soil around them and replant at same depth. Water in well. You can do that anytime after they've finished blooming.

In my 7b zone, the hottest period is late June into July. In order to set fruit before that, I plant tomatoes earlier than recommend and protect them well, but exact timing depends on the weather. Generally I aim for sometime in April and they definitely need protection into May.

If your variety has 90 dtm, getting them out between, say mid-April/early May should be fine. The fruit doesn't need to have fully matured before the heat hits, but the plants need to have set fruit before temps hit 85-90ish.

No doubt others have more precise advice better suited for your area.

For tomatoes, days to maturity is from the transplanting.

Pat, I've moved daffodils in the past and it was a little messy but they were quite forgiving... If at all possible, I would move the containers they are in to the new location so you can just dig them out and plop them into a new hole (yes, at the same depth that they were growing in the container). If that isn't possible, then I'd suggest putting each clump of daffs into a plastic grocery bag (or something similar) to transport it; try to keep the dirt around the bulbs as much as possible - but, again, they really are quite forgiving.

For the tomatoes, as Rick said, the DTM is from transplanting; you need to start the seeds about 6-8 weeks prior to transplanting, so somewhere between mid March and April 1st should work for you.

Hope that helps!

Leftwood said: For tomatoes, days to maturity is from the transplanting.

Yes, so if you put your tomatoes into the garden on April 15, you can start expecting that first ripe tomato July 15 - August 1.

I also try to plant tomato varieties that continue to set well in the heat - there are lots of them but my favorites are Early Girl, Solar Fire and SunGold Cherry.

So, if the DTM is from transplanting into the garden. . . if I were to transplant it into my garden BEFORE the date of average last frost and use something forn cold protection for it. . would that work??

I thought it'd be simpler - like sow earlier . . or (if wanting a later crop) later. . . . guess not.

Yes, that will "work" - but keep in mind that the timing is approximate and cooler (or colder) weather can slow down the plant growth. In my mind, getting the timing right can be the hardest part of gardening - which explains why I was ecstatic when I managed to start some broccoli and cauliflower plants at apparently just the right time to get a nice fall crop last year!

Yes that was what I was trying to convey. As Sandy said, it can be tricky because you're always at the mercy of the weather, but you can get a jump on the season, especially if it warms early. Here our average last frost date is a full month before recommended time for planting tomatoes, so you've got a lot of wiggle room. I use heavy mulch and bubble wrap. I'll let Daisy tell you about her Wall o' Water.

In cold zones, like mine, planting earlier does not work for tomatoes and other warm season crops because the soil is unchangeably cold. Yes, we can plant tomatoes earlier than the normal recommendation, but we hardly gain any precocity. Sometimes, results are worse because the hardening off process from inside to outside weather is more difficult.

I don't know if this is important where you are, but at any rate, it will take a bit longer to harden off your transplants before you plant.

Rick, you've dashed me with the cold reason/logic I needed.

Here, even when I planted out in early May (for several years, a bit later every year) as soon as the last average frost date is past...my tomatoe plants just sat and sullenly shivered and didn't start appreciably growing until after mid-May.
Eventually I was delaying planting out until May 15th: pushing it, as the plants take almost a week to get going.

In conclusion, I realize that I can't change the onset of production earlier for this variety.

No problem: no2w I just need to find a variety that'll do what I want. . . and figure out a way/space to grow iit! (And I PROMISED myself not to plan to grow any more!

The daffodils will probably like to be thinned out, get rid of or find a new place for small bulbs.

Hey, Bet, since you are in much the same area as I am, what I do is plant out the first of May. In a raised bed the soil temp is just about right. As far as the heat coming on, I just deal with it, and experiment with various varieties so I can have a good early crop. In the heat determinates have done well, and cherry tomatoes too. I try now to avoid any "late" tomatoes. When I plant I put in the hole my special mix which is a couple of aspirin all crumbled up, some bone meal, blood meal and some specific tomato fertilizer that's 3-3-6, I think. Be sure to cover all this with dirt then put the little plants in. I dont really know if all this stuff really helps, but my little tomato plants take off like a rocket and I'm usually picking my first tomato by the Fourth of July.